RCWSA approves Unit Rate Adjustments in New Budget

At its recent meeting, the Rabun County Water and Sewer Authority (RCWSA) approved unit rate adjustments in the Fiscal Year 2022 budgets for the North Water System, South Water System, and Wastewater System, explains General Manager Brendan Thompson.  “Each year about this time, April May time frame, we do a budget for the coming fiscal year, which our fiscal year runs from July 1, to June 30.  We go ahead and look at it in April and May in case there are any concerns or problems and then we have an extra month or so to do it.  Basically, our budget for this year was $2.754 million for the three systems; the Wastewater, the North, and the South system, which is up about $185,000 from last year’s budget.  Our supplement from the Rabun County Commissioners has decreased to 10%, which is very good, that is what the Authority had talked to Commissioners about was lowering that supplement each year to where the Authority is revenue sufficient on its own.  Presented all the financial data to the Board along with the rates, fees, and charges adjustments that we will be doing for the retail rate and wholesale rate for Clayton, which will go up 3% from $3.19 to $3.28 come July 1, the North Water System retail rate will go up 6%  from $3.11 to $3.30, and our retail Wastewater will go up 8% from $5.81 to $6.27 per thousand gallons of wastewater.  We look at it from a five-year period but our adjustments are only made for the one-year period.  We presented those, members looked at them, and everybody was in agreement, seemed to like what we got, and the direction we’re moving, so they went ahead and approved it.”  Once again these water and wastewater unit rate adjustments will be implemented on July 1.